'The authors know that they are pioneers in this field, at least in terms of providing a systematic and robust study, and they duly lay the foundations for any future scholars wanting to work on the history of immigration to medieval England, its origins and causes, the experience of immigrants, the vagaries of government and civic policy, and the attitudes of the host population. This book will be essential reading for scholars embarking on research in this field.'
Economic History Society
'With Immigrant England, 13001550, W. Mark Ormrod, Bart Lambert, and Jonathan Mackman provide readers with a truly fascinating, thoughtful, comprehensive, yet accessible, account of immigration into England in the later Middle Ages. Their work poses, and answers, important questions about our understanding of immigration. For example, to what extend did inward-looking English nationalism (such as it was) at this time promote racial and ethnic hostility? Furthermore, the authors have sought to humanise the immigrant experience in England (259); in this, they have succeeded.'
Journal of British Studies
'It should be a starting point for anyone who would aim to further explore the diversity of medieval communities and the immigrants economic activities. For those interested in the political and legal background of naturalization procedure as well as the history of immigration policies, this will be a particularly engaging read. More generally, the study also provides a good basis for the evolution of debates within the social sciences around the concept of immigrant, nationality, race, and religion. Moreover, the comprehensive structure of the study makes it a useful resource for teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in history and politics. In these and many other ways, Immigrant England contributes significantly to the longerterm history of immigration and provides a deep historical context for important contemporary debates about the free movement of peoples, about multiculturalism, and about national identity in the United Kingdom.'
Speculum
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